(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Al Iaquinta following UFC on ESPN+ 9 loss?)
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.
And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC on ESPN+ 9’s most noteworthy winning fighters.
Those winners include Donald Cerrone (36-11 MMA, 23-8 UFC), who dominated Al Iaquinta (14-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) for a unanimous decision in the lightweight main event from Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, as well as Derek Brunson (19-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC), Shane Burgos (12-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Macy Chiasson (5-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC).
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Macy Chiasson
Should fight: Winner of Irene Aldana vs. Bethe Correia at UFC 237
Why they should fight: An argument can be made that Chiasson is the biggest prospect in women’s MMA right now, and she showed why there could be validity to that claim with a second-round TKO of Sarah Moras that led to a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
Chiasson has ripped through her octagon competition so far, finishing all three of her fights. Moras had a brief moment of success in the bout, but ultimately was stopped by the punishing ground-and-pound of Chiasson that’s going to cause problems for many names in the women’s bantamweight division.
“The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner said she’s looking to break into the top 10 with her next fight, and there are lots of matchups available to her as she attempts to develop into a contender. The winner of next week’s UFC 237 pairing between Aldana (9-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Correia (10-3-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) would definitely be a step up from the type of opponents Chiasson has fought thus far, but at this point she looks ready for such a test.
Shane Burgos
Should fight: Josh Emmett
Why they should fight: The featherweight rankings saw a new player come into the fold when Burgos defeated Cub Swanson by split decision in what is easily the most significant victory of his career so far.
Burgos outworked Swanson over the course of three rounds to get the nod on the scorecards, improving his impressive record to 12 wins in 13 fights. At 28, Burgos has the potential to turn into a real player in the weight class and putting a name like Swanson on his resume is certainly a building block for something big in the future.
The New Yorker has now entered the territory in which his fights are only going to get bigger and the opponents more challenging. A matchup with Emmett (14-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who viciously knocked out Michael Johnson at UFC on ESPN 2 in March, represents another opportunity to make a promising leap forward.
Derek Brunson
Should fight: Winner of Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Ian Heinisch at UFC on ESPN+ 10
Why they should fight: Brunson picked up a much-needed win for his career when he outworked Elias Theodorou for a unanimous decision in a largely forgettable co-main event contest.
It won’t go down as Brunson’s best fight, but he got the result he absolutely needed after entering the event with back-to-back losses on his record. Theodorou is a tough puzzle to solve, and Brunson had his way in almost every facet to get the job done on the scorecards, allowing him to keep his place as a ranked middleweight.
Brunson has already fought many of the best at 185 pounds during his UFC tenure, earning mixed results. He’s unlikely to get anyone in the top half of the division for this win, but one more and he’s going to be right back where he wants in his career.
A fight between Brunson and the winner of the upcoming matchup between Carlos Junior (10-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Heinisch (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), which takes place at UFC on ESPN+ 10 on May 18 in Rochester, N.Y., would be a fitting foe. He was scheduled to fight Carlos Junior at UFC 227 in August, but the bout fell apart due to injury. If the Brazilian wins, putting that together again is logical, and if Heinisch comes out on top, he would’ve earned a ranked name such as Brunson.
Donald Cerrone
Should fight: Justin Gaethje
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Cerrone should fight Gaethje (20-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in a lightweight title eliminator next.
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 9, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
